


The Rage

by CodenamePegasus



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s01e08 Ice, F/M, MSR, Minor Character Death, UST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-05 20:30:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20279371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CodenamePegasus/pseuds/CodenamePegasus
Summary: Written for the X-Files Episode Fanfic Exchange (2019). What if Mulder was infected in Ice? Would Scully be able to save him?My work is free to read on AO3. It may not be shared on any other website or platform EXCEPT AO3. Please do not tip, subscribe, or pay for Fanfic Pocket Archive Library or any fanfic apps! I do not receive any money. These app’s are making money off my work.





	1. The Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ScullyLovesQueequeg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScullyLovesQueequeg/gifts).

> Charnette's Prompt - Ice. Either Mulder or Scully is infected and has to be treated/put down. It’s your choice who gets infected and if they get cured or not. Angst, UST, hurt/comfort. MSR.
> 
> Charnette, thank you for this prompt! It really forced me to write in a different style. For one, I wrote it all in first person, which I'm so not used to. Two, I switched from past tense to present tense between chapters. I felt that a story like this needed to be told through Scully's eyes, and I'm glad I was able to finish it. Hopefully, I've met all your criteria! Enjoy!
> 
> Big THANK YOU to Nicole for doing these exchanges! You're tops ♥

The Storm

It was supposed to be a quick trip: meet up with Murphy, Hodge, and DaSilva in Nome, head to the Icy Cape, see what happened to a team of scientists from the Arctic Ice Core Project sent to drill into the arctic ice, and get out before an arctic storm hit 3 days later. What could possibly go wrong?

EVERYTHING. That’s what can go wrong.

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When we first arrived, everyone scattered out to observe the scene. Dead bodies on the ground. No power. No lights. Mulder asked Bear, our pilot, to check out the power problem. We needed to document the scene before anything was moved or altered. I took pictures while Mulder checked out the ice core samples. Murphy preserved the samples he could. Bear got the generator going. Then, all hell broke loose.

A dog jumped on Mulder, attacking him and Bear. Everyone ran in trying to help. Hodge injected the dog, subduing him. Bear was bitten, but when asked, Mulder said he was fine and the dog didn’t break his skin. I think Mulder honestly thought that, but it turned out he was wrong. He was bitten. It was miniscule, barely discernible during the exam that Hodge, Murphy, and Mulder performed on each other. It went undetected.

I’ve wondered why Bear began showing symptoms, but Mulder didn’t. It could’ve been the placement of the bite, or that Bear’s bite was extreme and drew blood, but Mulder’s was a scratch. Either way, Bear immediately showed signs of infection, but Mulder acted normal.

I blamed myself. If I had gotten to Mulder faster, if we had made sure the room was secure before scattering around, if I had my gun out and ready to fire…Too many what ifs played on a loop in my head.

I go through the facts, trying to discern if there was any change in him. I remember things in sequence after the dog bite: the worm under the dog’s skin, Bear breaking a jar over Mulder’s head, realizing Bear was infected, Hodge extracting the worm, Bear’s last breath as the poison stopped his heart, Doolittle Airfield telling Mulder that no aircraft could get in as the arctic storm was heading our way. Through it all, Mulder acted normal. In fact, the first sign that something was amiss happened during the fight.

I wondered why he was so adamant about not killing the parasite. He wanted to study it. I wanted to eradicate it from the earth. After seeing how fast Bear was infected, how fast he died, I never wanted to see that thing escape and make its way around the world. We were yelling at each other, our voices rising and rising. I’ve never been that mad at Mulder. For a split second, I wondered if I was infected. I couldn’t see his side of the situation. Some things are too dangerous to study. I should have known something was wrong. Mulder doesn’t ever lose his cool with me. He stops at a certain point, but he didn’t this time. He was relentless.

We decided to examine each other; make sure that no one else was infected so that we could sleep easy. I thoroughly checked DaSilva during her exam. She had absolutely nothing on her body that led me to believe she was infected. She was acting normal too. 

We all made our way to our rooms to get some sleep. I remember that Mulder said something ominous to me before he closed his door. I mentioned that it seemed everyone was okay, wanting us to part on a positive moment.

He replied, “Don’t forget, the spots on the dog went away.”

It made me completely paranoid. I looked around my room, realizing I couldn’t trust anyone, not even Mulder. I moved the dresser in front of the door and curled up against the floor and wall. I didn’t sleep a wink.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Sometime later, a noise had all of us coming out of our doors and running to find Mulder above Murphy, who was obviously dead. A fight ensued between Mulder and Hodge that I had to get in between, which led to Mulder and I fighting once again. Guns were raised at each other, screaming at each other, neither hearing the other one. I wondered again why he was going this far. I had a sinking feeling: the paranoia was from the infection. That it was irrefutable proof he was infected.

We ended up confining Mulder in the storage room. The last thing he said to me shook me to my core – “In here, I’ll be safer than you.”

I remember thinking; he’s never going to forgive me for this. I wouldn’t have forgiven me either.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

A renewed sense of faith happened by accident. DaSilva infected already infected blood, and while she and Hodge were fighting, I became curious and took a look through the microscope. What I saw amazed me. The worm larvae attacked, viciously killing each other. None of us thought this was even possible, as species don’t tend to kill their own. They need another to procreate. DaSilva mentioned that worms are hermaphroditic though, so they can reproduce themselves.

My Eureka moment happened. If Mulder was infected, there was a cure. However, we weren’t sure. It might work, or it might fail. We needed to be sure.

The dog became a guinea pig. We injected a painkiller into the dog’s ear to numb it, and I put the worm on the dog’s ear with forceps. The dog began to whimper and shake, but eventually he grew quieter. He seemed better. We waited a bit until the dog went to the bathroom He seemed his happy self once again and wanted food, so I fed him. Hodge said he passed both worms in his stool, and they were dead.

We had our answer. Now, it was up to me to get Mulder to agree with our plan. I unbolted the door to the storage room and told Hodge that I wanted to talk to Mulder. DaSilva and Hodge were fully against it, but I was adamant. I told them I couldn’t do this to him until I was sure. They reluctantly agreed, and I stepped inside to darkness.


	2. The Snowstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My work is free to read on AO3. It may not be shared on any other website or platform EXCEPT AO3. Please do not tip, subscribe, or pay for Fanfic Pocket Archive Library or any fanfic apps! I do not receive any money. These app’s are making money off my work.

The Snowstorm

As I slid the door open, Mulder jumps to his feet quickly.

“It's just you?”

“Yes.” I whisper, slamming the door shut and turning on the light.

“It's one of them.”

“No one's been killed since you've been in here.” I tell him.

“So?”

“We found a way to kill it. Two worms in one host will kill each other.” Internally I plead with him to hear the reason in my voice, to not make this a bigger deal than it needs to be.

“You give me one worm, you'll infect me.”

“If that's true, then why didn't you let us inspect you?” I whisper again, knowing that Hodge and DaSilva are right outside, but somehow not wanting them to be privy to this conversation.

“I would have, but you pulled a gun on me. Now I don't trust them. I want to trust you.” He whispers back.

“Okay. But now they're not here.” My breath leaves my body. I don’t move as I wait.

Mulder turns around. He gives in to me, just like that. He still trusts me. I breathe once again, thankful and grateful that our friendship is still intact. I pull down the back of his shirt and inspect his neck. All at once, I have to bite back the bile rising in my throat.

A bump. A bump in Mulder’s neck that’s moving.

My best friend is infected. I shake my head, trying to clear my mind, searching his back once again only to find the same outcome.

“Scully, what is it?”

“You…You’re…infected, Mulder.”

Mulder turns around in a flash, his eyes blazing.

“You’re lying. I don’t believe you.”

“I’m lying?” I manage to squeak out.

“YES! You’re lying, Scully! You’re just like them! I can’t trust you!”

I crumble to the ground, the fight having left me. I’m going to lose my best friend, my job, maybe my life, and I can’t fight anymore. Despair sets in and I give in to it. Large sobs begin to overcome me, and I cover my face and let go.

Mulder is confused. He is fighting the infection and rage revving up his system, yet overcome with feelings of wanting to comfort me.

“Scully, stop it…that’s not going to work…would you stop it…Scully…jesus, please stop…I didn’t mean it, okay? I’m sorry I yelled. I’m an asshole. Please stop and talk to me.”

He is down on his knees now, pleading with me, rubbing my arms up and down in comfort. My sobs begin to subside and I wipe my nose. I must look 8 years old, because Mulder wraps me in a hug and holds me tight.

That’s when I make my move. My hand moves around him to embrace, a needle between my fingers, seconds before I sink it into his neck. I hear him yelp, before his embrace begins to slacken.

“Scully…what did you do?” He moans as he falls on his side.

I rush to him, holding his face in my hands.

“I’ve got you, Mulder. I’m going to make it better. I’m going to fix it, okay? We’re getting out of here, Mulder. Both of us. You hear me?”

A lone tear escapes his eye before he closes them. He is passed out cold


	3. The Cloudburst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My work is free to read on AO3. It may not be shared on any other website or platform EXCEPT AO3. Please do not tip, subscribe, or pay for Fanfic Pocket Archive Library or any fanfic apps! I do not receive any money. These app’s are making money off my work.

Chapter Three

I slid the door open to chaos once again. It seems while I was making a lot of noise having a meltdown inside the storage room, DaSilva hit Hodge, who is on the ground with blood seeping from his head. I check the room, but she is nowhere to be found. I check Hodge, but he’s dead. On the table in front of me is the jar with the worm and some forceps. I look around the room once again, and grab them. I go back inside the storage room and close the door. I lean against it as I realize what’s going on.

“Shit!” I whisper to no one.

I’ve got one worm and two infected people. One has killed a colleague (and possibly another one), and the other is my partner who other than a few shouts of anger hasn’t really displayed the severe markings of this infection. Who do I give the worm too? The woman who I could probably fight to the death if I need to, or my partner who could probably outfight me if that rage inside of him amped up? 

I realize I don’t have a choice. I kneel next to Mulder, facing the door in case DaSilva walks in. I get the worm out with the forceps and put it on Mulder’s ear. The worm disappears inside, and I wait. Mulder’s body convulses a little. I hear a little whimper. His hands voluntarily lift out to shake and then his whole being goes limp. I have no idea if it’s worked, but I can’t wait around to see. I need to go find DaSilva and subdue her somehow.

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I make my way to the lab, stopping now and then to listen. I hear nothing, not even breathing. The lab is empty, and I lower the flashlight in my hand as I sigh.

I turn around only to be grabbed and then slammed into some boxes. DaSilva bolts from the room, going straight back to where I came from. I shake myself a little and run after her. If she gets to Mulder, she can easily kill him.

She’s throwing things behind her to slow me down. She’s grabbing at whatever is near. A beaker flies through the air and shatters, cutting my hand as I protect my face from the glass shards. She’s screaming hysterically now, her rage visceral. She looks chaotically around her, and I realize she doesn’t know what to do. There is an internal struggle. She wants to rage, but also, she wants to stop this madness. I can try to subdue her, but even I know if she leaves this facility with that worm in her, one of two things will happen; she’ll become a lab rat, or she will die, and it will happen in an inhumane way. I can offer her a better solution.

“DaSilva, look at me.”

“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!!”

“DaSilva, you know there is only one option. There are no worms left. You are infected. You can’t control yourself, and that’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”

DaSilva struggles, but she looks at me out of the corner of her eye. She’s unable to stop moving though, wavering between running off and staying right where she is. She’s like a cornered animal, and I’m smart enough to know that when you corner an animal, they strike. They have nothing to lose.

I see the exact moment she realizes this and makes her move. She rushes me and I’m ready for her. I go low, kicking her in the groin with my knee. She sinks to the ground and I whip around her, grab her head with both hands, and twist with a force I rarely have to use. Her neck snaps, and her body falls to the ground. Quick and painless, she is dead before she hits the floor.

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Mulder is still passed out. I put Hodge and DaSilva in body bags and try to radio Doolittle Airfield again. I get no response. I attach a rope to my midsection and chance going out into the snowstorm to find the two clips I threw out earlier when Hodge said it wasn’t fair that I had loaded guns. I find one clip and make my way back. I feel better with a loaded gun in my hand. I have no idea if Mulder is cured or infected, and I am taking no chances.

I sit in the storage room, my gun in my hand, when reinforcements arrive. I call out to them, put my gun down, and explain the situation. Mulder, the dog, and I are taken to quarantine. I never see the bodies of the others again. I don’t know what happens to them or where they are taken.

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Hours later, our tests have come back as normal. None of us are infected. A plane is ready to take us home. Mulder is told that going back is impossible as the place is torched. There’s nothing left of the buildings, core samples, or the bodies that died there. Mulder wants to know who ordered it, but the doctors are not keen on answering. He looks to me, and it’s the first time he’s even acknowledged my existence since he woke up. I perk up.

“It was probably the military, or the CDC. Does it really matter, Mulder?”

“It's still there, Scully. 200,000 years down in the ice.”

I sigh. “Leave it there.” I reply.

I pick up my bag and walk toward the plane. Mulder looks back, at what might have been, or what could still be. Eventually, he picks up his bag and joins me.

On the plane, I take a deep breath in. I’m unsure how Mulder feels about everything, but I want to feel a connection with him. I grab his hand and squeeze it; assuring him I’m right there should he need me. He smiles reluctantly.

“Ah, hell. I can’t ever stay mad at you, Scully. It’s not fair, ya know.”

I smile back. “I know.”

“You saved my ass back there. I haven’t thanked you for that.”

“Mulder, there’s no need. You would have done the same for me.”

He pulls my hand to his heart. “You know I would, Scully.” His eyes bore into mine.

“I know, Mulder. I know.”

We sit back, hands joined together, refusing to part. There’s going to be hell to pay when we get home, but I can’t think that far ahead. I’m dealing with the deaths of three colleagues, almost losing my partner, and myself. It’s a lot to process.

Our pilot gets ready to go when a man approaches our helicopter. 

“Agent Scully? Agent Mulder? I’ve got someone by the name of Skinner on the phone? He says he urgently needs to talk to you!”

We look at each other and smile.

“You can take off, man. We’re good.” Mulder tells the pilot.

“Tell Skinner this is our reply” I yell to the man. We flip the guy off.

We are still laughing even when the man can no longer be seen.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
